Manfrotto pocket series tripods

Until such things as the Gorillapod appeared, one of the most annoying aspects of steady photography was lugging a tripod around. Now Manfrotto has unveiled a new pocket-sized tripod solution for both compact and digital SLR cameras that neatly folds away beneath the body of the camera so that both tripod and camera can fit in the pouch or bag.

The MP1 and MP3 pocket series tripods from Manfrotto screw onto the mount underneath just about any compact or digital SLR. When the moment calls for a steady shot, the three feet can be unfolded and the camera placed on any handy flat surface (such as a wall or table) for support. When not in use the tripod feet can be folded back underneath the camera body without any ungainly size increases. As such, it should be possible to stow away both camera and attached tripod into most pouches or bags until needed.

The pocket series tripods come in two sizes – one for compact and one for digital SLR -– with each available in either black or silver. They're not quite as versatile as the Gorillapod but they're more compact and also benefit from some protective buffers between tripod and camera to help keep your camera's base scratch-free.

Pricing information was not available at the time of writing but head on over to the gallery for some close up shots from Photokina 2010.